Wimbledon 2021: China’s Zhang Zhizhen makes history but not second round
- Chinese men’s No 1 loses epic five-setter to France’s Antoine Hoang in grand slam debut
- Zhu Lin into women’s singles second round against 13th seed Elise Mertens after beating Germany’s Mona Barthel
China’s No 1 men’s tennis player Zhang Zhizhen said his story was just beginning ahead of playing fellow Wimbledon qualifier Antoine Hoang in their first round match and he was right, at least in some ways.
After being rained off on the first day of play, Zhang – making his slam debut and becoming the first Chinese man to play at Wimbledon in the Open era – did not get off to the greatest of starts, losing the first three games before making history with a first game on the board.
In the end – three hours and 41 minutes with another prolonged rain delay in between – the Shanghainese 24-year-old had taken the Frenchman all the way to five sets but he did not make the history he wanted.
No Chinese man had made the first round of Wimbledon and of those other three to appear at another slam – all of them at the Australian Open – none had made it past the first round at. That record has not changed.
Hoang, appearing in seventh grand slam match stood firm over five sets to win – 6-4, 6-7, 7-6, 3-6, 2-6 – on court six of The All-England Club.